Softwr

Education · head to head

Photomath vs Rosetta Stone

Photomath logo

Photomath

Education

Camera based maths solver that shows step by step working, owned by Google since 2022

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rosetta Stone logo

Rosetta Stone

Education

Learn languages through immersion

From
$13.25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Photomath has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Photomath full free step by step solutions make it straightforward for a student to submit copied working without doing the reasoning themselves, which is a real concern for teachers assigning homework.; Rosetta Stone no pricing information available on homepage; requires navigating to /buy page
  • They diverge on capability: Photomath covers Camera scanning, Rosetta Stone covers Immersive learning.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Photomath and Rosetta Stone actually diverge.

Attributes where Photomath and Rosetta Stone differ
AttributePhotomathRosetta Stone
Starting priceFree$13.25/month
Pricing modelFree with a Plus subscriptionUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android
FoundedUnknown1992

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Photomath

  • Camera scanning
  • Step by step solutions
  • Built-in calculator
  • Word problem support
  • Animated explanations
  • Textbook alignment

Only in Rosetta Stone

  • Immersive learning
  • Speech recognition
  • TruAccent
  • Live tutoring
  • Phrasebook
  • Stories
  • Audio companion
  • Mobile apps

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Photomath

  • A student checking their own worked answer against the app steps to find where a method went wrongnot Rosetta Stone
  • A parent who cannot help with unfamiliar high school maths and needs a worked explanation rather than just an answernot Rosetta Stone
  • A student working through word problems in a subject not covered by the free tier who needs the Plus subscriptionnot Rosetta Stone
  • A school evaluating whether to recommend or restrict the app given the ease of copying a full worked solutionnot Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone

  • Language learning across 25+ languages with immersive methodnot Photomath
  • Speech recognition practice via TruAccent toolnot Photomath
  • Conversational fluency building through Chat Missionsnot Photomath
  • Custom learning materials creation with Sapphire Studionot Photomath
  • Professional and personal development language acquisitionnot Photomath

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Photomath

  • Full free step by step solutions make it straightforward for a student to submit copied working without doing the reasoning themselves, which is a real concern for teachers assigning homework.
  • Word problems, a common school assessment format, are gated behind the Plus subscription, so the free tier is weaker on exactly the problem type many students struggle with most.
  • Camera recognition of messy handwriting or complex notation such as matrices or multi-line proofs is unreliable, and misreads produce confidently wrong steps.
  • Since the 2022 Google acquisition, the product sits inside a company whose primary business is advertising and data, which is a relevant factor for schools with strict student data policies.
  • It solves problems rather than teaching underlying concepts from scratch, so a student with no foundational understanding gets a worked answer but not necessarily comprehension.

Rosetta Stone

  • No pricing information available on homepage; requires navigating to /buy page
  • Multiple membership tiers exist but pricing not displayed on main site

Pricing, plan by plan

Photomath

Free
  • Photomath Plus$9.99/month
    • Step by step solutions for most problem types free and unlimited on the base app
    • Plus unlocks word problems, animated explanations and deeper steps
    • Plus available at roughly $59.99 billed annually as a cheaper alternative to monthly

Rosetta Stone

$13.25/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Rosetta Stone review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Photomath if

  • You need camera scanning.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want step by step solutions.
Photomath review

Choose Rosetta Stone if

  • You need immersive learning.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want speech recognition.
Rosetta Stone review

Questions people ask

Is Photomath or Rosetta Stone better?
Neither clearly leads. Photomath starts at Free and Rosetta Stone at $13.25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Photomath or Rosetta Stone?
Photomath has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Photomath and $13.25/month for Rosetta Stone.
Does Photomath or Rosetta Stone run on more platforms?
Photomath runs on iOS, Android. Rosetta Stone runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Photomath for free?
Yes. Photomath has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Rosetta Stone starts at $13.25/month.
What is Photomath best used for?
Photomath is most often used for a student checking their own worked answer against the app steps to find where a method went wrong, a parent who cannot help with unfamiliar high school maths and needs a worked explanation rather than just an answer, a student working through word problems in a subject not covered by the free tier who needs the plus subscription, a school evaluating whether to recommend or restrict the app given the ease of copying a full worked solution. Of those, a student checking their own worked answer against the app steps to find where a method went wrong and a parent who cannot help with unfamiliar high school maths and needs a worked explanation rather than just an answer are not what Rosetta Stone is typically brought in for.
What can Photomath do that Rosetta Stone cannot?
Photomath covers Camera scanning, Step by step solutions, Built-in calculator, Word problem support. Rosetta Stone covers Immersive learning, Speech recognition, TruAccent, Live tutoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Photomath: Is Photomath free?

Basic step by step solutions for most maths problem types are free and unlimited. Word problems, animated explanations and some textbook-specific solutions require Photomath Plus.

Rosetta Stone: Where can I find Rosetta Stone pricing information?

Rosetta Stone pricing is not displayed on the main homepage. Customers must navigate to the membership purchase pages or click the JOIN NOW button to access pricing information for individual, enterprise, or school membership options. Source: https://www.rosettastone.com

Source
Photomath: Who owns Photomath now?

Google acquired Photomath in 2022. It operates as a standalone app but is owned by Google.

Photomath: Does it just give the answer or show working?

It shows step by step working for the method used, not only the final answer, on both free and Plus tiers, with Plus adding more detail.

Share

Related pages

More on Photomath

More on Rosetta Stone

Keep looking

Other head to heads